Appendix 6 - International Music Council

2006. In addition, tracks from its four CDs are expected to be played regularly by a
wide range of radio stations.
Palissander – an ambassador
for peace and hope
Palissander is an independent chamber choir that was formed in 1992. The choir
creates innovative choral experiences that enrich the lives of the choir members and
the audience. It has also over the last few years become an ambassador for peace
and hope.
2002/2003 - Peace
In 2002 Palissander established a multicultural ensemble including a Zulu praise
singer and members of the Soccajasco Kids to perform a Peace programme at the
Conference of the International Society for Music Education (ISME) in Bergen,
Norway.
The Kids, a group of former street children, are being taught life skills through
African drumming by Prof. Meki Nzewi, past President of the Pan African Society for
Musical Arts Education (PASMAE) and guest professor at the University of Pretoria.
Building on the success with the boys, four girls have also been introduced to the art
of African drumming as part of the
performance arts empowerment project. The
Peace programme was released on CD in 2003.
Since their joint participation in the 2002 ISME Conference, Palissander has
continued its co-operation with the Soccajasco Kids (see Annexure A for more
details
in this regard and Annexure B for a letter of recommendation by Prof. Nzewi.)
2004 – Ten years of democracy
In 2004 Palissander again combined with members of the Soccajasco Kids to take
part in the Ninth International
Choral Festival of Sainte Baume in Italy and France.
During
this festival the choir performed a programme celebrating the tenth
anniversary of democracy in South Africa. The choir received standing ovations
throughout its tour and was invited by the organisers to do the closing performance
during the final gala concert in St Maximin. The CD of this programme was released
on 6 December 2005 (see Annexure C for the introduction to the CD).
2005 – Time(less)
Palissander’s theme for 2005, Time(less), provided hope by contrasting our life on
earth
in which time and place are important with our timeless existence with God.
The programme structure was to a large extent based on the text of the penultimate
work,
The present tense, in which God is thanked for the past, present and future.
However, in the end the present is emphasised as the time of our life. This
programme deeply affected audiences during the choir’s domestic tour to the West
Coast and subsequent performances in Vereeniging and Pretoria (see Annexure D for
a review of the concert given on 12 November 2005).
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